Casio CZ-230S

quite easy to understand, once you read the manual, though a bit scruffy... you will never like the programming,
just am example: if you wnat to switch between solo mode (4 individual patches, midi-assignable) or polyphonic mode, you have to hold down the solo button when you switch the power button.

all has been said above...

yeah, the sounds are funny

it is fisher-price like, undestroyable

no

get nuts with this gear for a while, buy it only if you have a good day. it won't improve your music, but it is a little, bizarre relict of the past of preprogrammed, home entertainment -syntho-kids aera.
yep

not easy. though ive never seen a keyborad that is. worked through the complexities, over time, learned a little, but still cant program it. looking for manual.

4 note poly, no effects, no expansion i know of, basic midi. sequencer is hard to use.

sounds are great, 99 of them, but you need to select your favorites. ilike the 60's 70's 80's presets. simple static velocity notes. cant complain for the money, which was nothing, as it had been abandoned to the rubbish skips of tin pan alley(london), many thanks brian and deeta(phonetic spelling).

dependable, yes! id bring it on stage w/o backup. but im not a stage person!! it may be worth a mention that holding the cancel key down while turning it on, resets the machine, just in case you cant get all the sounds.

none so far. looking 4 manual

great

I first owned one of these like 16 years ago! I got it for Christmas one year; finally sold it to Rogue Music in NYC in 1988. A great little unit, for what it was. Kind of a home keyboard CZ synth. They could be bought from Sears, believe it or not. Really easy to use, pick a sound or rythym, and let 'er rip.

Really about 4 voice poly. Mini keys. A little bit bigger than a CZ-101; it had one built in speaker. The coolest thing about it was a little drum machine section, that was programmable, not unlike a 808/909/etc. You had 16 beats per bar, and two bars to a pattern. You could also use the synth sounds as part of your pattern, along with the usual drum sounds. They were nice fat 80's drum sounds, too. It also had strap pegs on each end, so you could wear it on stage. I used it some as a midi controller, and I also used it through a guitar amp playing distorted fifths and such.

I would say the sounds were most definitely interesting. The drum samples were good, and I really liked that drum machine feature. The clavs, basses, digital synth noises were the best. Pianos and strings were the worst. I never tried to program any sounds via MIDI, although there was a Commodore editor/librarian. No velocity or aftertouch. No effects, either.

I treated it BAD, and it kept coming back night after night. At the time, it was my only keyboard; I mostly played bass back then. I used it every night with no backup; no complaints ever.

Casio seems to have forgottem about CZ synths. Don't count on them; look to your friends on the net. The only thing I ever remember needing service on was that one day it quit working with the power adapter. It would run on batteries (8 D's I think...). I probably dropped it one time too many or something. Anyway, the hick repair place in Monroe, LA didn't want to fool with it. So I just ran on batteries from then on out.

I don't think I would buy it again, as there a better ways to accomplish the same results now. It was cool back in the day. If you can find one, and want that CZ sound, and drums, it's a pretty good little unit.

Most functions are very straightforward, however patch editing
can only be done via MIDI, and rhythm programming is rather
clumsy. Good manual.

4 or 8 note polyphony, depending on patch. 49 mini keys. No sequencer,
no effects. Is multi-timbral via MIDI only. Mono audio output.
Has seperate outputs for main keyboard sounds and PCM rhythm sounds.
100 preset patches, 4 may be over-written by MIDI. Compatible with
other CZ-series synths (i.e. CZ-101). Has magnetic-tape data output.

100 preset patches. Good for brighter lead voices, not-so-good
for softer sounds or pads. No aftertouch or velocity sensitivity...
very static sounds, but not all that "un-useful." Great processed
with external effects. Uses Casio's proprietary Phase Distortion
sound source... Very difficult to program, more so than Yamaha DX-series!

Mine's well over 10 years old, probably closer to 15. Works great,
despite the way I treat it!

Was good, but that was 10+ years ago. Now support is OK through
dealers for parts, etc.

Wierd little unit, but I love it. Most of the built-in patches are
useless, but a few are gems. Sounds much fatter than FM synths
(DX-series), but is much mroe difficult to program. This was Casio's
"home" version of th CZ line... Real easy to use if you don't stray
from the front panel, but any further exploration would result in a
big headache unless you have the manual and a good book on CZ synths.
Is sonically identical to other CZ machines, and the patches are
compatible, too. They can be imported/exported either by MIDI or by
data tape via an "MT" port on the back of the unit (magnetic tape).

If lost, I'd look for another one before resorting to a 101 or 1000,
if only to have that grungly little drum section!